After weeks of publicly released and leaked information about Legacy member Brave Collective’s intention to formally relocate its home from Catch to Querious, new details of their plans have emerged in the form of a flowchart that is designed to inform line members of expectations and required activities as part of the move.
Brave’s plan to move to Querious first came to light through a leaked mini-SOTA address given by Brave director Dunk Dinkle on February 10. In that address, Dinkle sketched out the plan to move, with fighting to begin immediately that weekend. Additional light on that announcement was provided almost immediately by a series of embarrassing leaks of Brave leadership discussions that were posted to Reddit. These leaks made clear that a driving factor in Brave’s decision, and the urgency of that decision, was the recent effort by former Legacy member and Brave ally Siberian Squads (SB-SQ) to take over the very systems in Querious that Brave had targeted for itself. Siberian Squads had switched sides and was now an obstacle to Brave’s move.
Since Brave’s plan first became known in mid February, three full weeks have passed – weeks in which Brave needed to make inroads in Querious against SB-SQ before that group had a chance to establish itself in the space that Brave wanted. In that time, Brave has had some good successes, turning many iHubs in Querious and taking some sov. While SB-SQ still has a large foothold in Querious, they have been evicted from the key 8BO-IH constellation that Brave views as the center of its future holdings.
However at the same time, Brave has been losing ground in Catch, with iHubs and sov falling in the center of their (former) home space. This puts Brave in a precarious position between two homes – one falling, and the other not yet firmly established. Despite the losses in Catch and Impass and the move to Querious, Brave insists that they are not fully abandoning their old regions. When asked, Dunk Dinkle reaffirmed his previous publicly stated commitment to maintain a presence in those regions. “Yes, we intend to keep some systems in Catch and Impass long term,” he said. “That was always part of the plan.”
The uncertain transitional position Brave finds itself in makes the recently discovered flowchart for line members that much more important. As thousands of characters and assets are moved, clear direction is needed to ensure success. Notable among the guidance provided, all Brave members are instructed to install their death clones at the PAPI staging system T5ZI-S in Delve, just one jump from the Imperium home system and major remaining stronghold 1DQ1-A. This demonstrates an unambiguous commitment on the part of Brave to continue the war effort against the Imperium with the rest of their partners in Legacy coalition and PAPI.
In addition to putting their death clones in Delve, Brave line members are instructed to put a jump clone and doctrine ships both in their targeted home system in Querious, P-ZMZV, and in their current home system in Catch, GE-8JV. In order to fight the war against the Imperium, establish their home in Querious, and hold ground in Catch, Brave line members must be prepared to split their attention three ways.
Dinkle expressed satisfaction with the progress Brave has made in Querious since their intention to move was first announced more than three weeks ago. “In Querious, we’ve achieved our immediate goals for the constellations we targeted,” he said. “SibSquad are good people, former allies, that have chosen to change sides. They fight well, but as Brave and [PAPI] forces continue to press, they appear outnumbered.” Beyond the strategic gains being made, he also commented on the simple fun offered by the fighting in Querious. “Many good fights occurring in Querious, with people on both sides having fun,” he said. “Which, putting space politics aside, should be the goal: having fun.”
Despite the uncertainty associated with a major relocation in the midst of a major war, Dinkle expressed both confidence and optimism about both the direction and the condition of Brave. “As I mentioned in my alliance chat over the weekend, it’s astounding that we have more systems in Querious than Imperium has in Delve,” he said. “We’ve had our setbacks, but most members are positive and have been excited to make history.”
In particular, he called out the positive effect war pressures are having on Brave’s ability to operate and on their cohesion as an organization. “As a leader, seeing Brave grow in capability and strength is heartening and a good sign,” he said. “Regardless how the war goes, our internal cohesion is strong. As my father used to say, ‘pressure makes diamonds.’ The war, for many groups, has built stronger internal bonds and is a good thing for everyone. Without the war, the negative impacts of CCP’s recent choices on economy design would have a much more negative impact than we are seeing.”
Time will tell whether Brave’s gamble in Querious pays off. But for now, they appear confident that the odds will be in their favor.
